Hemmer



June 14, 1927.

. I A. H. DE VQE HEMMER Filed Sept. 20, 1924 INVENTOR Patented June 14,1927.

UNITED STATES LBERT HARRISON DE von, wEsTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, AssIeNoR TOTHE SINGER 1,631,956 PATENT OFFICE) MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH,NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OI .NEW JERSEY.

HEMMER,

Application fl1ed September 20, 1924. Serial no. 738,746.

This invention relatesto sewing machine hem mers and has for an objectto provide a hemmer which will evenly and uniformly hem a margin offabric having an irregular or jagged edge, or ofi'set edge-portions;such as are commonly present at the beginning or end of a previouslyformed cross-seam. A further object of the invention istoprovide ahemmer into which a fabric edge may be quickly and easily inserted andwhich will freely receive and turn the edge of the work to be hemmedregardless of cross-seams, serrations, off-sets or other irregularitiesat the edge of the work.

According to the present improvement the bodyof the'hemmer is made froma piece of sheet-metal bent into the form of a scroll or diminishingspiral. The inner enclosed edge-portion of the scroll is free from theadjacent or main wall portions thereof and its bottom portion 18 cutaway at the delivery end of the hemmer. Preferably, the inner portion ofthe hemmer scroll is in the form of a hollow or concavo-convex formingtongue or arbor disposed forwardly of the exit from the hem-formingpassageway; the

free edge of thearbor being in the form of a longitudinally progressingspiral terminating at the delivery end of the hemmer and of a senseopposite to that of the spirally formed hemmer body. In other words, ifthe hemmer is in the form of a counter-clockwise diminishing spiralterminating in an inner enclosed and free edge, such edge is in the formof a longitudinally and clockwise progressing spiral terminat-' ing atthe delivery end of the hemmer. The hemmer includes a work-supportingportion or platform which, together with the hemmer body, has a frontedge extending spirally rearwardly toward the delivery end of the hemmeras far as the arbor where it merges into the front edge of the latterand continues spirally in a reverse direction, or forwardly, to thefront end of the arbor. By virtue of the foregoing constructivefeatures, the passageway at the delivery end of the hemmer is clear ofrestrictions to the free and easy egress of the hemmed edgeportion ofwork, even though the latter varies in bulk due to irregularities suchas above described. The spiral front edge of the hemmer and theconcavo-convex arbor operate to smoothly turn and fold in any tion. I

irregularities in the edge of the fabric. To

enable the hemmer to handle extreme Ivaria: tions in bulk, such ascaused by heavy cross seams, it may be split longitudinally intotwosections, one of which ismounted on a spring-pressed arm pivotedforwardly and at one side of the hemmer mouth.

In the accompanying drawings showing the hemmer in operative position.Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a'rear endelevation of the hemmer. Fig. 4 is a left side elevation of the hemmer.Fig. 5 a bottom plan view of'the hemmer and Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof a modified form of hemmer embodying the .inven- In the accompanyingdrawings 1 repre- Fig. 1 is a plan view-of the bed of a sewing machinesents the throat-plate, 2 the feed-dog, 3 the 1 presser -foot and 1 theneedle of an ordinary sewing machine, to the cloth-plate 5 of which issecured the slotted shank 6 of the support 7 for the hemmer body, Thesup port 7 is formed with a vertical, fold-guiding flange 8 to the faceof which is secured at 9 the fixed scroll-section 10 of the hemmer body.The movable scroll-section 11 of the hemmer. body, which isacontinuation of the fixed scroll section 10, is carried by an arm 12overhanging the fixed scroll-section l0 and constituting a lateralextension of the springpressed arm 13 pivoted at 14 forwardly and at oneside of the mouth of the hemmer. The two sections of the hemmer scroll.meet along the line 15 and are held yieldingly in contact with oneanother along such line by the spring 16, o-neend of which is fixed tothe arm 13 adjacent the pivot screw 14 while the other end the verticalflange 8.

The hemmer body is in the form of a scroll or counter-clockwisediminishing spiral as indicated by the longer arrow in Fig. 2. Suchdiminishing spiral terminates in a hollow or concavo-convex arbor 17having an inner free edge 18 which is unattached to the adjacent or mainwall portions of the scroll. The inner edge 18 is cut away at thedelivery bears against 1 end 19 of the hemmer, Fi s. 4 and 5, and

does not obstruct the exit from the hemmer of bulky portions of a hem,such-as caused by double folded portions of an irregular edge or bycross-seams. Preferably the inner free edge 18 of the scrollis in theform in Fig. 2; such spiral terminating at .18 at the delivery end 19 ofthe hemmer. The hollow arbor 17 is also of longitudinally and clockwiseprogressing spiral form and is of funnel shape with an open entrance.The body of the hemmer is extended at 20 to form a broad lip or platformfor supporting the edge-portion of the work and facilitating itsintroduction into the hemmer scroll. This lip does not extend to thedelivery end of the hemmer but is cut away so as to terminate at theedge 20 which is curved at one end to merge into the main vertical wallof the scroll at its delivery end. Thus the hemmer scroll hassubstantially no bottom wall at its delivery end, since such walls ofboth the outer and inner portions of the scroll have been cut away. Thefront edge 20 of the platform 20 and the front edge 2O of the hemmerbody form a continuous spiral extending rear-wardly as far as the point17 or base ofthe arbor where it merges into the front edge 17 of thearbor and continues spirally in a reversed direction, or forwardly tothe front end of the arbor.

It will be seen that the inner or enclosed portion of the hemmer scrollis, in the pres ent instance, in the form of a spiral concavoconvexarbor which extends forwardly from the delivery end of the hemmer and inadvance of the forward edge 20* of the upper wall portion. of thehemrner scroll. This arbor, together with the front edge portions 20 and20 of the. hemmer body and plat form operate to smoothly fold or roll inany irregularities or offsets in, or projections from, the edge of thefabric. The arbor, being in advance of the delivery end of the hemmer,does not obstruct the restricted space at such end and interfere withthe exit from the heininer of thickened hem portions caused by suchfolded-in irregularities. 1n hemming material having heavy cross-seams,the movable section 11 of the hemmer will swing about the screw 14L as acenter toward the dotted line position, Fig. 1, sufficiently topermitthe cross seam to pass, whereupon such section will return toitsinitial position in contact with the fixed section 10.

For the usual run of work the two sections of the hemmer shown in Figs.'1 to 5, inclusive, may be permanently jointed or made in one piece, asshown in Fig. 6, it being unnecessary to splitthe scroll into fixed andmovable sections except to handle work having heavy cross-seams orextreme variations in thickness.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis 1. A h'emmer comprising a hem-folding scroll formed as a diminishingspiral terminating in a hollow arbor having an inner free edge extendingspirally toward the delivery end of the hemmer, said scroll including aworlesupporting platform disposed mainly in advance of said arbor, saidplatform and the body of the he1n-folding scroll having a front edgeextending spirally rear wardly toward the delivery end of the hemmer andmerging into the front edge of said arbor, which latter front edgecontinues spirally forwardly to the front end of said arbor.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein the bottom wall of saidarbor. and the rear end portion of said platform are cut awayapproaching the delivery end of said hemmer.

3. A hemmer having a support formed with a fold-guiding flange, ahem-folding scroll divided longitudinally into two sections one which isfixed to said support at one side of said flange, a spring-pressed armextending in the direction of feed and pivotally mounted at its frontend on said support at the other side of said flange and having alateral extension overhanging said flange, the other of said sectionsbeing carried by said lateral extension.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT HARRISON DE VOE.

